split off

split off

1. To detach, separate, or sever from some larger thing or piece. Groups of students split off to work on the project. A large chunk of rock split off from the side of the mountain and rolled down into the ravine.
2. To detach, separate, or sever something (from some larger thing or piece). A noun or pronoun can be used between "split" and "off." Split the tough, fibrous ends off of the asparagus stalks before you pop them in the oven. She split off a piece of chocolate for me.
See also: off, split
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

split something off (of) something

 and split something off
to sever connection with something; to separate from something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) Dave split a piece of wood off the log to use for kindling. He split off a stick of wood.
See also: off, split

split off (from something)

to separate away from something; to sever connection with and separate from something. A large iceberg split off from the glacier and made an enormous splash. A giant chunk of ice split off and floated away.
See also: off, split
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

split off

v.
1. To separate something; detach something: The babysitter split off a piece of fruit and shared it with the child. Before putting the flowers in water, I split the stem ends off.
2. To become separated from something: The political party split off from a broader coalition. As the temperature rose, a large section of the iceberg split off.
See also: off, split
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • (I've) got to take off
  • be well off for (something)
  • be well off for something
  • break off
  • be off for (something)
  • be off for sth
  • (Now) where was I?
  • bounce off (of) (someone or something)
  • bounce something off of someone
  • bounce something off someone
References in periodicals archive
The net value of assets and liabilities that Corporation B received is larger than the net value of assets and liabilities Corporation A received in the split off. A loan from Corporation B to Corporation A has been executed in the amount of $100,000 for the difference in values that Corporation B received compared to Corporation A.
How to document a tax-free D reorganization with a split-off
A four-hectare tract of land that was part of Russian territory split off in June and floated over the border before getting stuck near high-voltage lines.
RIA Novosti has reported that Russian authorities plan on destroying an island drifting in Estonian waters over threat to a Russian hydroelectric plant on the Narva Reservoir
Several cars were damaged during the protest in Luton, Beds, after a small group of people split off from the march.
MOB 9 HELD IN DEMO; PROTEST
Tokyo, Feb 17, 2009 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited today announced that it will split off its optical modules business and merge the business into its wholly owned subsidiary, Fujitsu Optical Components Manufacturing Limited, through a simple absorption-type separation, as of April 1, 2009.
Fujitsu to Split Off Optical Modules Business in Reorganization
Although the announcement has caused a stir in the French scientific community, the CNRS's nuclear physics and space programs were split off into autonomous institutions in the mid-1980s.
France
One reference (Wikipedia) mentioned that the Arabian plate split off from the African about 35 million years ago, but this detail has since been removed from Wikipedia.
To the Editor
The chain, which has 650 outlets, was acquired two years ago by Icelandic buyout specialists Baugur, and split off from the Big Food group.
Hot sales for frozen retailer: Iceland volume 1.56 billion [pounds sterling]
It was then taken private by Icelandic investment group Baugur in 2005 and split off from the supermarket chain.
Booker profits
Worcestershire County Council's St Chads division in Wyre Forest was defended by the Liberal Party, a group which split off when Liberal Democrats were formed in the merger with Social Democrats in 1988.
Labour slumps in by-election
In the interim, portions of the original benefits package sponsored by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman were split off and cleared, then repackaged to include a number of bills from the House and Senate.
President signs veterans' bill
The announcement comes seven months after Toys R Us announced they were seeking to split off their struggling toy business from the smaller, but more lucrative, Babies R Us division.
Record Business insider: US group snap up toy giants
But perhaps it is the other way around: The literally real and yet wholly conceptual space named "517" is the id of 515, split off and exposed.
Gregor Schneider: Barbara Gladstone Gallery
Its layers are even finer, and large chunks can split off under pressure.
Get a grip! Junior climbing champ Scott Cory built his iron grip clinging to rock walls. Find out why certain kinds of rock make his favorite climbing spots so challenging
Then, on the way back down a couple hours later, people split off again in the exact same spot, as if that were the only place on the mountain where they were allowed to relieve themselves!
Touring Sakhalin's Japanese past: oil and a shared history bring Japanese tourists to Russia's Siberian isle